Ex-Stamford teacher pleads not guilty to sex and pot charges

Updated 10:41 pm, Monday, September 22, 2014

STAMFORD -- A former Stamford High School teacher accused of threatening to fail an 18-year-old student if he did not have sex with her appeared in court Monday for the first time since her arrest in mid-July to plead not guilty.

Danielle Watkins, 32, of Fort Point Street, Norwalk, had been unable to appear in court to answer the charges up to that point because she only recently was released from in-patient treatment.

She was arrested July 17 and charged with two counts of sexual assault, as well as two counts of sale of marijuana and one count of risk of injury to a minor for allegedly supplying the 18-year-old and another younger student with pot.

Before signing the orders, Hudock told Watkins, "No contact means no contact." He also told her that if she violates it, he would likely raise her bond.

Watkins nodded, indicating she understood.

Serafinowicz later said Watkins is a "good person" and is working to address the issues that have affected her life. People should not draw conclusions about her until all the evidence is in, he said.

Police launched the investigation into Watkins in June after the 18-year-old went to police and said his English teacher had threatened him. He said he had had numerous sexual encounters with her since September 2013. He told police the encounters occurred in her car during school hours, though not on school grounds. He told police Watkins provided him and a friend with marijuana and they would smoke it on and off school grounds during school hours.

Police said they later found more than 2,000 text messages, naked pictures of Watkins and records of hundreds of calls between her and the student. They said they believe the sexual activity and drug use occurred as frequently as several times a week throughout the school year.